The police officer allegedly intimidating witnesses.
The police officer accused of murdering his partner and Gauteng Crime Warden, Chesnay Keppler, will remain behind bars until next month after allegedly breaching his bail conditions.
Mandla Buthelezi appeared briefly in the Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg on Thursday, 11 September, for a pre-trial hearing.
His matter was moved from the Protea Magistrate’s Court in Soweto after he had been granted bail of R20 000 on 11 August.
Chesnay Keppler murder accused re-arrested
On Thursday, Buthelezi was taken back into custody for contravening his bail conditions, according to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid).
“He is accused of intimidating witnesses in the murder case. He was arrested at the Johannesburg High Court during his appearance, and the case was remanded to 11 October 2025 for a pre-trial conference.
“He will be detained at Moroka Police Station until his next appearance,” the Ipid’s statement reads.
Buthelezi, a sergeant in the South African Police Service (Saps), allegedly shot and killed Keppler on Boxing Day, 26 December 2024, following a domestic dispute.
It is alleged that the police officer fired several rounds with his service pistol through a house window in Eldorado Park, south of Johannesburg, before fleeing the scene.
He was later hospitalised under police guard at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital after allegedly attempting suicide by shooting himself during his arrest.
Second officer also charged
Last month, another officer, Constable Llewelyn Meyers, was arrested and appeared as the second accused in the case.
Meyers — said to be a friend of Buthelezi — faces charges of attempted murder, assault, and breaching sections 29(1) and 33(3) of the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (Ipid) Act.
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Section 29(1) obliges investigators to act independently and without outside influence, while section 33(3) criminalises obstructing, interfering with or improperly influencing Ipid investigations.
It is alleged that on the day Keppler was killed, Meyers assaulted Keppler’s friends — who managed to escape — and fired shots in their direction as they left.
He was also charged with failing to report a crime.
Ipid criticised over backlog
On Wednesday, Ipid officials appeared before parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Police to present the watchdog’s first-quarter performance report.
The committee voiced concern about the persistent backlog of cases at Ipid, saying it undermined the body’s mandate to hold police accountable.
Although the committee noted the plan to hire retired investigators and deploy them in provinces with heavy caseloads, it remained worried about Ipid’s inability to clear its backlog over successive years.
According to the committee, the large number of cases that the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) declines to prosecute points to a weak investigative capacity within Ipid.
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